Collapsible brace



Patented Aug. 1, 1950 2,517,183 ooLLArsiBLE Barton William Si. Dunn, Winnetka, Ill., and Robert R. Richolt, Tujunga, Calif., assignors, by mesne assignments, to General American Transporta-y tion Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of New York Application April 14, 1945, Serial No. 588,308

2 claims. (C1. 248-240) The present invention pertains to collapsible braces for shelves, seat backs, table legs or any one of the almost numberless uses to which braces of that general class are commonly put. Generally stated, the object of the invention is `to provide a novel improved collapsible brace which has the attributes of structural simplicity and ease of manipulation together with rigidity of holding when in use.

The manner in which such objectives are achieved. as well as further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a general perspective view of a hinged shelf equipped with a collapsible brace embodying the present invention. v

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail sectional View through the brace taken substantially along the line 2--2 in Fig. l,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the brace with its tube portion in longitudinal section, the brace being shown disconnected rather than engaged as in Fig. 1.

Figs. 4 and 5 are transverse sectional views through the brace taken substantially along the lines t-ll and 5 5 in Figs. 1 and 3, respectively.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, we have shown in the drawings and will herein describe in detail the preferred embodiment, but it is to be understood that we do not thereby intend to limit the invention to the specic form disclosed, but intend to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims,

Referring more particularly to the drawings, a collapsible brace designated generally as I0 and embodying the present invention, has been illustrated. Such brace requires but two principal structural elements, here shown as a tube II and a rod I2. Both of these elements are of forms well suited to low cost quantity production.

The rod I2 may be fashioned conveniently from cold rolle-d steel, sheet or bar stock. It is dimensioned to slide freely in an endwise direction within the tube II. The inner end of the rod is relieved or cut away as indicated at I 2a (Fig. 3) to present a rigid laterally facing hook nose I2?) on the end of the rod. It will be observed that the outer surface of this nose is substantially coplanar with the corresponding side edge of the unrelieved body portion of the rod.

The tube II on the other hand is fashioned of sheet metal as, for example, from seamless steel tubing. Its Asides are flattened so that its cross section is that of a flat sided or more or less elongated ellipse (see Figs. 2, 4 and 5). The tube is apertured or pierced as indicated at I4, adjacent the end of the tube opposite that into which the rod I2 is entered, to receive the hook nose I2b on the rod.

Provision is made for pivotally connecting the protruding end of the rod I2 and opposite end of the tube II to respective ones of la pair of hinged or pivotally connected members to which the `brace is to be attached. Thus the protruding or outer end of the rod I2 is enlarged as indicated at I 2c and apertured to receive a transverse pivot pin I5 carried by bracket i5.' Similarly, the opposite end ofthe tube II is apertured to receive atransverse pivot pin I1. I

i It will be observed that the axes of the pivot pins I5, Il are parallel with each other and normal tothe longitudinal axes of the rod and tube.

Moreoven'the hook nose I2b on the rod I2 projects laterally from the rod in a direction normal to the axes of such pivot pins. The purpose of such relative arrangement of the parts will appear below.

The particular installation of the brace illustrated is of course but one of the almost numberless uses to which it may be put. As indicated at Fig. 1, it may be applied to a shelf i8 hinged at I9 on a vertical wall 20, the shelf being hinged to swing from the horizontal position shown in full lines upward to the vertical position shown in broken lines. In such case, the bracket I6 is fixed to the wall Zi) and the pivot pin I'I xed to the edge of the shelf IB.

The tube and rod II, I2 are dimensioned relative to each other so that the width of the rod, in a direction normal to the plane of the aperture I4, or, in other words, normal to the axes of the pivots I5, Il, is .substantially less than the inner width of the tube in that same direction. In the illustrated construction it will be observed that the width of the tube in such direction is approximately twice the width of the rod in that same direction. The resulting clearance of the tube with reference to the rod permits the rod and tube to rock about their pivots I5, Il between the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3 and that shown in broken lines in the same gure. In the full line position, and in which both the tube and rod are swung upward about their respective pivots, the hook nose |212 is disengaged from the aperture I4, whereas in the broken line position in which the tube and rod are swung downward about their respective pivots, the hook nose is entered into and engaged by the aperture I4.

When the shelf I8 of Fig. l is in its horizontal position, the weight of the shelf tends to rock both the tube and rod I I, I2 downward about their respective pivots so that the hook nose I2b is entered in the aperture I4 and securely held in such position. Accordingly, the tube and rod are locked against relative axial displacement and the shelf thus supported firmly in horizontal position.

To unlock the brace and permit the shelf I8 to be swung upward in the vertical position indicated in broken lines in Fig. 1, the user has only to push upward on the underside of the tube II. The resultant rocking of the tube II about its pivot I 'I brings its lower end into engagement with the underside of the rod I2, whereupon the latter fulcrums about the lower end of the tube I-I and swings into the position shown in Fig. 3. This results in disengagement of the hook nose I2b from the aperture I4, unlocking the telescoped tube and rod II, I2 so that the shelf can be swung freely up into Vertical position. Since the tube I I is loosely telescoped over the rod I2, the two can be slid freely relative to each other so long as the hook nose I2b is not engaged with the aperture I4.

To again lock the shelf IS in its horizontal position it is necessary merely to lower the same. As the shelf is lowered, the rod I2 slides up into the tube II until the hook nose IZb finally drops into the aperture Ill locking the parts in position.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a collapsible brace, the combination of an elongated tube, an arm freely slidable endwise within said tube and protruding from one end thereof, the protruding end of said rod and the opposite end of said tube each having means thereon for pivotally connecting the same to a pair of hinged members or the like to which the brace is to be attached, the inner end of said rod having a rigid laterally projecting hook nose on it, said tube having an aperture in its side for reception of said hook nose to lock said tube and rod against relative endwise displacement, and said tube being of substantially greater width internally than the width of said rod and hooi: measured in a direction normal to the plane of said aperture, and having a portion adjacent the free end thereof for engagement with said rod upon rocking of the tube about its pivot to fulcrum the rod and free said hook nose from said aperture.

2. In a collapsible brace, the combination of an elongated sheet metal tube flattened on opposite sides to present a cross section of elongated elliptical form, an arm fashioned from flat sheet metal stock dimensioned to slide freely endwise within said tube and protruding from one end thereof, the protruding end of said rod and the opposite end of said tube each being apertured for pivotal connection of the same to a pair of hinged members or the like to which the brace is to be attached,` said pivot apertures being parallel to each other and normal to the major transverse axis of said tube, the inner end of said rod and the wall of said tube providing a hook and aperture connection to lock said tube and rod against endwise displacement, and the internal width of said tube along its major transverse axis being substantially greater than the width of said rod and hook measured in the same direction to permit movement of said rod in said tube in such direction to free said connection.

WILLIAM J. DUNN. ROBERT R. RICHOLT.

REFERENCES CTED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTs Number Name Date 493,111 Parsons Mar. '7, 1893 `2,196,779 Persson Apr. 9, 1940 

